Imaging lenses are critically important components for systems deployed in all types of environments such as factory automation, robotics, and industrial inspection. Lenses and cameras are now being integrated into spaces that were not common or possible in the past. Standard imaging lenses may not function or be able to withstand the extreme environmental temperature, moisture, vibration, or shock of many applications. However, imaging lenses can be modified in a few key ways to withstand one or more extreme environmental conditions. Ruggedized imaging lenses are available in three different options: industrial, ingress protected, and stability ruggedization.
Standard imaging lens assemblies typically have various moving components. To allow for a manually adjustable focus, most lens assemblies rely on a system of concentric threaded barrels. The focus ring rotates and the inner barrel, which contains the lens elements, slides forward and backward relative to the outer housing, which remains stationary. There is also an adjustable iris diaphragm with several thin metal leaves that controls the f-number of the lens. The most common way to hold the focus and iris positions in place is to tighten the rings and barrels that control them with thumb or set screws. Due to the multitude of moving parts involved in the construction of a lens, the system is susceptible to changes in focus and in aperture due to the influence of environmental factors, namely shocks and vibrations.